Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Er-doped Bi24O31Br10: Facile synthesis and photocatalytic mechanism

• Er-doped Bi24O31Br10 have been prepared via a one-pot solvothermal method.
• Er doping drastically improves the photocatalytic activity of Bi24O31Br10.
• The enhanced activity is attributed to effective electron trapping and up-conversion process resulting from Er3+.
• Holes and super-oxide radicals are main active species.

Erbium (Er) doped Bi24O31Br10 samples were successfully prepared by using a solvothermal method. The samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, BET, DRS, PL and EIS. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The result shows that Er dopant induces a significant improvement in the photocatalytic activity. 1.0% Er–Bi24O31Br10 sample exhibits the best photocatalytic performance. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the effective trapping of photogenerated electron by Er3+ ion and the up-conversion process resulting from Er dopant. In addition, it is found that holes and super-oxide radicals play main role in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and MO.

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